During the plenary session of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) on Thursday 15 February, France's Minister for European Affairs Nathalie Loiseau called on members of the EESC to participate in, and boost, the citizens' consultations launched at the initiative of France's President Emmanuel Macron.
Loiseau indeed said that the citizens' consultations that Macron wants (see EUROPE 11927) were directly in tune with the activities of the EESC. "I know your deep attachment to the European construction and the work you have conducted in complete independence at the EESC to make Europe better known to our fellow citizens (...) It is for all these reasons that the EESC has a key role to play in these citizens' consultations because, in reality, there is a deep coherence between your action every day and the ambition expressed in these consultations: that of increasing your work and of making these dialogues – of which you have daily experience – possible everywhere, in all territories, among association groups, companies, unions, universities and places of culture", Loiseau said at the end of her speech.
The EESC offered its backing but underlined, firstly, that it wanted to be really involved and, secondly, that these consultations should give rise to concrete results. Luca Jahier, the head of the Various Interests group at the EESC, welcomed the invitation and proposed that the EESC be part of the steering committee for these public consultations, as well as be part of organising a joint event on 4 and 5 September 2018, shortly before the European Council, during which the conclusions of the civil consultation will be presented. Several EESC members are concerned about the sincerity of wanting to involve civil society – like Jacek Krawczyk, the head of the Polish Lewiatan Confederation, and Séamus Boland, the head of the Irish Peatlands Council and head of Pobal. Anne Demelenne, former secretary general and head of the Wallonia section of the Belgian General Federation of Labour (FGTB), underlined the need to translate the European social rights base into actions and a budget.
These citizens' consultations will begin in April and end in October 2018, Loiseau stated. Some 24 member states will take part. The results of the consultations will lead to a report that will be published in December 2018. The Committee of the Regions and European Commission will continue their citizens' dialogues (see EUROPE 11961, 11242) alongside these consultations. (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens)